O percurso do olhar: um estudo do “nu feminino” de Baptista da Costa do Museu Mariano Procópio e sua relação com a pintura do entre século XIX e XX

Abstract

This work stems from an analysis of the female nude by artist Baptista da Costa, a painting held in the collection of the Mariano Procópio Museum in Juiz de Fora. Art criticism, which has historically played a role in shaping the visibility of artists by highlighting specific aspects of their work, contributed to Baptista da Costa’s recognition primarily through his landscapes within the history of Brazilian art. However, this artist, who enjoyed the admiration of his contemporaries during his lifetime is approached here from a different perspective. Focusing on a single work, a female nude, this study explores the relationship between the depicted body and the artistic framework that shaped the artist’s gaze, while also considering how his works align with modern movements and engage with Brazilian culture at the turn of the 20th century. For a painter known for landscapes, studying the body provides a new way of understanding Baptista da Costa’s work. His representations of female figures are inscribed within a shared iconographic tradition.